THE Metropolitan Police paid almost £1 million to another force to investigate paedo liar Carl Beech following its own bungled probe, it was reported last night.

It raises fears that further hidden costs could send the final amount spent on the scandal soaring well above the £2.5million already declared, The Times said.

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It is feared the cost of Carl Beech's wild allegations could soar above £2.5millionCredit: PA:Press Association

Operation Midland began in 2014, with cops claiming that Beech’s wild allegations against establishment figures were “credible and true,” before the case collapsed in 2016.

Northumbria Police has revealed that its probe into his lies cost £1,109,068, with £951,982 reimbursed by the Met.

Further costs would have been incurred by officers’ expenses, the IPCC and IOPC, the fee for a review of the case by a former judge, as well as substantial legal costs in dealing with compensation claims.

There would also be costs to the CPS, Legal Aid Agency and courts service, as a result of the 51-year-old’s nine-week trial, which saw him jailed for 18 years.

On top of that, Gloucestershire police investigated Beech for child abuse images and the National Crime Agency tracked him down when he went on the run in Sweden.

It comes as police said they will now publish “as full a version as possible” of a 491-page report into the scandal, following media pressure.

It comes days after Scotland Yard said the scathing document—written by Sir Richard Henriques could reveal covert policing methods and help criminals.

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The censored report was first published in 2016. It listed 43 blunders made by detectives, who called the fantasist’s claims “credible and true”.

Former Met chief Lord Stevens and former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald have both called for an unredacted version of the report to be made public.

Last night, Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House said: “We will publish as full a version of the report as possible, as soon as we can, now proceedings are complete.”

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Beech made false allegations about several high-profile figuresCredit: PA:Press Association